Apparatus for dispensing ice cream



Dec. 10, 1929. w. R. WILLAUER APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING ICE CREAM FildMarch 26, 1928 Patented Dec. 10, 1929 PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM R.WILLA'UER, OF SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA APPARATUS FUR DISPENSING ICECREAM Application filed March 26, 1928.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple method and means forreducing the expense and increasing the sanitariness of handlingice-cream in its transmission from the manufacturer through the retaildealer to the retail customer, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

A special object of this invention is to improve the devices forelevating the ice-cream 1o container from time to time as the level ofthe ice-cream therein descends, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation an 1 115.partly in vertical section of a portion of a refrigerator commonly usedin retail establishments for ice-cream;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and -lare views of details herein after described.

In my copendin application, Serial No. 26%,770, filed even dateherewith, I have shown a screw mechanism for raising and lowering thecarton in the refrigerator can, whereas in the present application Iillustrate and claim a counter-balanced form of apparatus whereby thecarton may be more readily stepped up or elevated from time to time astile ice-cream is removed from the carton.

In the drawing, designates the usual metal can built in the refrigeratorand 11 indicates a paper carton set down in said ca and adapted to beraised from time to time as the level of the ice-cream therein lowers.As the carton is thus raised from time to time, the top edge of thecarton (which carton is desirably made of paper or paper-board) is to betorn off and discarded. For raising the carton, I employ a pair ofcables 12 affixed to the lower end of the bottom-plate 13 on which theice-cream carton 11 rests and extending upwardly over pulleys 14, thefree ends of these cables hanging down on the outside of the pulleys andbeing connected to counter-balancing weights 15. These weights 15 arenot sufliciently heavy to raise a. carton completely filled withice-cream, but they are of suflicient weight to raise a partly- SarisNo. 264,771.

empty carton. For instance, it is desirable to elevate the carton aftersay a gallon of icecream has been removed therefrom, and at this pointthe Weights 15 are sur'licient of th mselves to raise the ice-creamcarton.

To govern this automatic raising of the carton by means of the wei hts,I employ very simple devices. I aliiX to the container 10 a verticalplate 16, one of whose edges is provided with semi-circular notches 17in which pins 18, carried by the bottom-plate 13, are adapted to engage.A companion plate 19 is arranged edge-to-edge with respect to the plate16 and is connected thereto by a pair of parallel links 20 incliningupwardly from their pivotal connection to the stationary plate 16. Acoil spring 21 connects the two plates 16 and 19 and tends to draw themtogether, so that the companion notches in the plate 19 willautomatically engage the pins 18. To elevate the ice-cream can orcarton, it is necessary simply to depress the removable plate 19 againstthe action of its spring 21, whereupon the upwardly-inclined links 20will throw these plates 19 out of engagement with the pins 18 and thuspermit the weights 15 to automatically elevate the ice-cream carton tothe height desired, whereupon the plates 19 are rel ased to permit thesprings 21 to draw said plates 19 back into engagement with the pins 18and thus lock them against further ascent.

It will be understood that the ice-cream carton 10 is desirably made ofpaper and is so constructed that it may be ripped or torn off orotherwise removed at the top as the ice-cream is used up by theretailer, to thus bring the surface of the ice-cream in the carton to aheight where it will be convenient for the retailers clerk to remove thesame. Any one of the three ways of weakening the carton illustrated inmy copen-ding application or any other manner of reducing the carton inheight as the ice-cream is used may be employed.

I have shown two sets of the plates 1619 arranged at diametricallyopposite points and equidistant from the weight-pulleys 14, but it willbe understood that more or less sets of these releasing-and-lockingdevices pression of one of the may be employed Without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

The scope of the invention is not to be limited by the specificembodiment shown in the drawing, but only by the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a refrigerator receptacle, anice-cream can adapted to be set down in saidreceptacle, a support forthe ice-cream can, weight-operated means for elevating said supportautomatically, the Weight of the Weights being insufiicient to thuselevate the ice-cream can until a portion of the contents has been removed, and manually-operable means for controlling the lifting of theice-cream can by means of said Weights.

2. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a refrigerator receptacle, anice-cream can adapted to be set down in said receptacle, a support forthe ice-crealli can, Weightpperated means for elevating said supportautomatically, the Weight of the Weights being insufiicient to thuselevate the ice-cream can until a portion of the contents has beenremoved, and manually-operable means for controlling the lifting of theice-cream can by means of said weights, said means embodying companionnotched plates engaging pins on the cam-support and devices Where bythese plates may be manually separated.

3. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a refrigerator receptacle, anice-cream can adapted to be set down in said receptacle, a

5 support for the ice-cream can, Weight-operated means for elevatingsaid support automatically, the Weight of the Weights being insufiicientto thus elevate the ice-cream can until a portion of the contents hasbeen removed, and manually-operable means for controlling the lifting ofthe ice-cream can by means of said Weights, said means embodying a pairof companion notched plates with notches to engage pins on thecan-support, a spring for normally drawing each pair of plates togetherto thus engage the intermediate pins, and means whereby deplates ill.separate them sufiiciently to permit the pins on the support to rise ina path between the plates.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

YVILLIAM R, WILLAUER.

